


Lookalike

by Paru_Cafe



Category: Layton Kyouju vs Gyakuten Saiban | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: F/F, set post-epilogue so spoilers for the entirety of plvsaa i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paru_Cafe/pseuds/Paru_Cafe
Summary: Eve cares about her friend.A quiet evening reminiscing, told by Eve the cat.





	Lookalike

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I'm ever seriously writing something in English, and I'm terribly nervous.  
> I apologize for any mistakes I might have overlooked in the text, and I'm completely open to criticism or advice!
> 
> I'd also like to thank my friends Celeste and Madison for excellent proofreading.  
> Please enjoy!

Eve the human looks at her.  
Eve the cat looks back.

Eve the human extends a hand towards her, as if to pet her, but she freezes mid-air, hesitant. Her gaze meets with the girl next to her. She says, "I'm not sure about this, Espella."

Eve herself isn't sure about this either. She was napping comfortably on Espella's bed, her body lodged between her human's friend and the big comfy pillow. It was very late in the night, and the two humans had been chatting since Eve the human came back from 'work', earlier in the evening. 

Eve the cat knows what work is: it's when Espella and Ms Eclaire and Sir Barnham all make 'dough' and put it in the hot mouth of fire they call 'oven' and then the dough transforms into bread. It looks really hard because they are all sweaty and tired when they do it. Eve likes bread, but she doesn't like sweat, or tiring herself. 

Eve muses that Eve the human must do a different kind of work, because Eve the human doesn't smell of sweat, nor bread. She smells of ink. Eve knows what 'ink' is because sometimes Espella dips a bird feather in this black water and makes big loops on paper, and she looks upset if Eve walks and makes paw prints all over. So Eve doesn't walk on the paper before the ink is dry, because she doesn't like it when Espella is upset. 

Espella was upset a lot before.

Eve remembers when she was a kitten; her earliest memory was when she was in a dirty alley, it was raining and she was cold. No one cared to come in this street, since it was rather narrow. Eve didn't have a name yet, she was still small and frail and she was buried under crates and she couldn't find mum. One day Espella came by and heard her calling mum, and gave her bread and goat milk. She kept coming after that day, eventually asking if the cat wanted to come with her to a warm place. The cat accepted, and that's when Eve got her name.

The warm place Espella took her to was called a bakery. Eve decided it was infinitely better than the alley – she could wander in the town called Labyrinthia any time she wanted, return to nap on the hot counter top, eat bread and drink milk, and most importantly she could see Espella. 

Espella was really nice. She sometimes put fish bits or ham in the bread she gave her. She gave very nice pets, and she always respected her boundaries when Eve didn't feel like being pet. She also gave Eve pretty crinkly and shiny paper to play with. When Eve was terribly muddy and she had trouble cleaning herself Espella would remove the mud with a damp cloth and she'd dry Eve so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Espella didn't yell when Eve dug her claws on her knees, unlike Ms Eclaire. The only thing that she got mad about was when Eve puked little balls of hair, and when she wouldn't take the bitter 'medicine' she gave her. 

Eve the cat always thought humans looked strange, with only fur on their head. They looked like plucked birds. Another cat told her human fur was called hair. Eve thought it as strange. Fur is fur. No need to give it another name, right? _Humans!_ Right?  
But she always thought of Espella as a pretty human. Her hair was blonde, the colour of wheat, and her eyes always twinkled with amusement whenever she caught sight of Eve hiding in the shadows.

Even when she was upset, Espella would give her a smile and reach to give her chin a scratch. When she was _really_ upset, enough that she'd curl on the bed and the only sounds escaping her mouth were breathless cries, Eve would rub her head against her and meow until Espella acknowledged her. She didn't like when Espella was upset.

But now, she's happy. She talks to Eve all the time. Eve pretends to understand, ears flickering when Espella rubs her fur, and Espella can talk for hours, so eventually Eve naps on her knees, but she still listens about what the human is saying because she cares about Espella, and Espella cares about Eve.

And she knows that Espella cares about Eve the human a lot too.

At first Eve was wary of Eve the human, because just because they had the same name didn't mean she was a friend. At the time, Eve the human was called Darklaw. Darklaw didn't fully look like a human, more like a cat resembling a human; and Eve remembered seeing her dressed sharply, with her gaze seeing things others didn't, her claws shining in the sun, two ornaments on her head like ears. Eve won fights against other cats before, but whenever she saw Darklaw she thought to herself, _'better keep a good distance away from this one.'_

But then a lot of things changed during 'The Last Witch Trial', whatever that was; and Eve remembered that Espella had jumped from the tall tower (what was she thinking! a fall this high! she'd break her paws! every cat knew that!) and that Darklaw had caught her.

Constantine, back when he wore that silly helmet, said that Darklaw and Sir Barnham were both Inquisitors, whatever that was too. Eve didn't care. What she cared about was that Constantine also said that Eve the human and Sir Barnham would fight with each other a lot. She could picture that; they both looked very fierce. However Ms Eclaire was fiercer, and she tamed the two of them easily. She just had to show her bread and yell at them.

Sir Barnham and Constantine started living with Ms Eclaire, Espella and Eve the cat at the bakery; and Darklaw changed her name to Eve. Surely she took her name after her, because who didn't want to be a cat? Agile, flexible, fast, smart, ferocious and adorable at the same time, with the prettiest whiskers and paws to tow. And Eve the cat being the best cat of Labyrinthia, of course the human would look up to her. All the other cats in the town agreed, and Eve had puffed her chest out, all proud and mighty. Yes, really, Eve was the best name.

Eve the human came by Espella's room a lot after that. The two humans would chatter endlessly, sometimes sitting close by and sometimes far apart, but still in the same room. They'd talk about everything and nothing, of the future and the past, of fun and projects and trips to other places and recipes and jokes and they'd laugh; they'd solve riddles and puzzles; they'd run and push each other; they'd read the same books together at the table; sometimes both Eves would watch Espella draw, and Eve the human would point to a part and ask what was this and that; sometimes, Espella would come home with packages, and Eve the cat knew they were from Eve the human by the smell of ink and Espella's smile as she opened them. But she was especially happy when Eve the human was here to give them in person.

For example, one day Eve the human brought in a shiny package a 'radio', which is a box that plays music; they'd always switch it on at low volume so it'd would play faintly in the room, sometimes even humming to the tune of the music together.

That day, Espella had been so happy she had loudly cheered and jumped at Eve's neck. Eve the cat thought they were fighting, but they were actually play-fighting. They did that sometimes, although they had been shy to do so at first.

Sometimes, they'd both freeze suddenly and separate and wouldn't talk to each other, looking around awkwardly to avoid each other's gaze; one time, Eve the human cried, and Espella hugged her with so much force Eve thought she'd break her. Another time, it was Espella that cried, and Eve the human returned the hug with the same strength, before Eve even moved to soothe Espella.  
So Eve figured Eve the human was just like her, a friend of Espella, and decided that Espella's friends were her friends as well.

Sometimes Sir Barnham would knock at the door, and they'd all go downstairs, drink some tea, play cards, banter together with Ms Eclaire and sometimes Espella's father and sometimes other humans she barely knew like Jean or Kira or Rouge. Eve would get some milk, Constantine would get a croissant and they'd cuddle together as the humans talked to each other. 

She was happy that Eve the human came here too, because everything felt happier, and Espella would smile and laugh and clap and when before she always tucked her hands in her cape, shying away from contact, now she'd pet everyone, Ms Eclaire, Sir Barnham, her dad, Eve, Eve the human.

Yet, in two years of this calm, quiet, happy routine, Eve the human never touched anyone else but Espella. And even that was rare. She never pet Eve.

Perhaps it was why Espella had lifted Eve the cat from her spot and put her on Eve's knees. So that Eve the human would pet her. But Eve was a bit annoyed. She had been napping quietly, her mind wandering between their banter and the half-dream of running after one of the white birds at the seashore, the pillow soft like the sand. 

"Come on, Eve, you know she won't bite you or anything !" Espella says, but Eve isn't so sure about that. She just might, just to be petty. But something about Eve's body language makes Eve the cat stiffen. She's tense, like she's afraid of the cat.

No... Not of Eve. Of _something_. She isn't sure. 

Espella had told her once, that Eve the human was 'touch-starved, but afraid of touch'. Eve didn't get it. How could you be afraid of touch? She loved to rub her head on things, against Espella's legs, or roll on the blanket. Espella said it was because Eve the human was afraid to hurt people. But she didn't have the golden claws any more, just a scar. Eve always wondered in which fight she got it. It must've been impressive, her opponent must've been tough. 

So because she didn't have the claws any more, surely she couldn't hurt people, right? Eve didn't get it, even if she knew what it was like to starve – she knew before Espella helped her, anyway. Picturing touch starving, well… She couldn't understand, but she figured it would be lonely.

"I... I don't know, Espella. I'm not good with animals," Eve the human says, drawing her hand back.

"Don't worry, you know Eve is really gentle. And you played with her one time, remember?"

"I- I know that," Eve grumbles. "But it was with that fishing rod toy, and so I didn't- I didn't pet her."

"Why not?" Espella asks, looking worried suddenly. "What are you so worried about? You don't have an allergy or anything, right?"

"No," Eve answers. "No, I'm not allergic. I just never touched an animal before."

Espella's eyes widens. "Never?" Her eyes widens even more, when Eve shakes her head no, looking bashful. "Never _ever_??"

"Never ever," Eve sighs. "I don't have a single memory of ever petting an animal. And I wouldn't be caught dead actually touching Zacharias' mutt."

"Aww, come on. Constantine is a cute critter," Espella says, but Eve the cat thinks she'd like to raise an objection. Constantine is certainly funny, but not cute. Only cats can be. "What about your horse?"

Eve the human shrugs. "I rode on that horse very rarely. It's extremely uncomfortable," she explains, when Espella quirks an eyebrow at her.

"I'll take your word on that. I never rode a horse before." 

"See, and you're fine. Now I don't see why it's such a big deal to you that I don't pet every cat I meet," Eve retorts.

"I didn't ask you to pet every cat on the street!" Espella pouts. "I just thought it was weird you didn't pet Eve ever. It's like you dislike her or something."

Both Eves widen their eyes.

"No, it's not that!" Eve the human exclaims. "Rather, I- I was afraid she wouldn't like _me_. Err- I read somewhere that animals are pretty receptive to who hurt their owners." 

"I doubt Eve dislikes you." Espella answers with a smile. She reaches across her lap to scratch Eve the cat behind the ears. "She gets along with pretty much everyone, you know? And you came here so many times too. She's used to your company by now."

Eve the human stays silent.

"Eve?" tries the blonde. "Unless there's something else?"

She frowns, and avoids Espella's sight.

"You always know when I'm hiding something," she mumbles. "It's scary. You should have worked for the Inquisition."

"You're rather easy to read, Eve," Espella laughs. "But I can't tell too much when you're that stubborn in saying what's the bottom of the problem."

"You've been bugging me for half an hour about petting a cat and you're one to tell about being stubborn."

"Oh, shush, you."

They laugh, then eventually Eve the human lets out a big sigh; in a nervous tone, she says, "I just thought, i- if Eve didn't like me, maybe you would... I don't know, um, reject me."

"Oh, Eve, you goose." Espella sighs. "That's just superstition at this point."

"I _know_ I'm being irrational. Don't rub salt into my wounds," Eve groans, shrinking her head into her shoulders. "I know that, all right."

"If Eve didn't like you, which I doubt she does," Espella says, detaching her words carefully, "I wouldn't reject you, silly. I'd try to have you two get along, or change my time to adapt my schedule for you two. Not reject you?"

Indignant, Eve says, "I know that-"

"Apparently, no you didn't."

"I... Okay." Eve the human sighs, defeated, and mirrors Espella's amused smile with a shy smile of her own. The other girl nods towards the cat, and Eve sighs again, playfully feigning exasperation. "Fine. I'll try again."

She raises her hand up towards the cat, but stills mid-air once again. This time, Espella grabs her wrist gently, a bit like when she grabs Eve's neck, the way mum did.

"Here, I'll guide your hand," she murmurs, and moves Eve's hand for her. 

Eve's skin feels different than Espella's. It smells of ink, and it's more bumpy at places. Eve the cat figures it's the scar. Her ears flick back and forth and she leans into the touch, because it's not unpleasant, just different. She sheds as much hair as possible, because she wants to get back at Espella for waking her up from her nap, and then arcs her entire body, purring because Eve the human is scratching right at the spot where her chequered scarf and chin meet.

"See?" Espella chuckles, and her eyes twinkle with glee when she looks at Eve the human. "She liked you before, you didn't have to be so shy in petting her." 

Eve the human changes colour, from a pale one to a reddish hue, a feat that Eve always thought humans were impressive for. "I- I told you. Sh- She's your cat. It's not shyness, it's just... I didn't want to impose myself."

"She's my friend," Espella corrects, but she has a smile on her face. "And Eve, you know you're never imposing. My room is always open for my friend. My two best friends," she adds, and her voice is really soft, in the kind of tone she uses when she's tired but happy. "I would never reject you, you know that."

"A- ah," Eve the human stammers, and Espella looks at her curiously.

"Is there something wrong?" she asks, and Eve hopes there isn't, because everything feels right, right now, the three of them on the bed basked with the lamp's light on the table, and their legs tangled together- "Eve?" Espella asks again when Eve the human doesn't answer, her voice almost a whisper.

"It's- ah- it's nothing- it's just..." Eve stammers, avoiding Espella's eyes. "Um. Your hand."

Both their gazes lower to Eve's hand, covered by Espella's own hand who didn't let go after she stopped petting. Eve the cat just stares at them, intrigued.

"Do... you want me to remove it?" Espella asks, head tilted to the side.

"No," Eve the human quickly says, and her gaze snaps immediately back at Espella. "Stay like this."

They stare at each other for a long while, without talking, and Eve wants to stretch and yawn because she's getting tired, but she can't because their hands are on her and she can't move. But then, Espella and Eve the human interlock their fingers, then their heads get closer together, and their lips meet.

They pull back and then their lips connect again, and again, and again, and _again_ ; and Espella removes her hand to tug at Eve's shirt. Eve's hand go to stroke Espella's cheek, and Eve the cat is tired of sitting watching whatever game they're playing, so she gets up and jumps off the bed, looks at them one last time but they're not paying attention to her. 

Eve sneaks through the small opening in the door to find her favourite pillow in the hallway, the one that's always cool when she's too warm; in the room, the two humans are making breathless noises like crying, but there's whispering, and chuckles, and wet sounds. Hard breathing, like they were running, and them calling each other's names over and over again. It's quite faint even to her amazing ears, so Eve doesn't care. She's sleepy, so she decides to nap, ready to run after white birds in her dreams again.

After a while, the sounds have stopped, and Eve sneaks back into the room, hops on the bed to find scattered clothing and the both of them cuddling, half-naked under the covers, murmuring words that sound like purring to her. She watches, eyes wide, as Espella rolls to pet Eve the human and kiss her forehead, just like she'd do with her. Annoyed at being replaced like that, Eve meows loudly, and Espella chuckles, reaches to pet her and hold her close.

A hand slowly creeps through the covers, and Eve feels the other Eve petting her as well.

They smell sweaty and they look tired. Were they working?  
Eve doesn't know and doesn't care. Right now, all she cares about is that Espella's smile is the prettiest of the world, and the hands combing her fur feel just right. 

Eve turns at Eve the human and gauges her; when satisfied, she decides to get up, yawn, stretch, lick her paw then rub behind her ear under the intrigued gaze of Eve the human and the amused one of Espella. She then promptly exits the bedroom, eager to bother Constantine and scam him out of a croissant.

Eve the human resembles her, she muses while trotting downstairs, in the sense that maybe she doesn't like being touched, except but by Espella.

However just because they _resemble_ each other doesn't mean she will not put up a fight against Eve the human if she ends up making Espella upset. Because after all, she doesn't like when Espella is upset.


End file.
